Grind setting conversion
Mahlkönig EK43 vs Weber Key
Conical against flat — the Key's scale curves where the other runs straight. The Key is numbered 0–100; the EK43 is numbered 0–16.
| EK43 | Key | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Mahlkönig | Weber |
| Scale | Numbered dial | Numbered dial |
| Dial range | 0 – 16 | 0 – 100 |
| Burrs | Flat | Conical |
| Espresso → filter | 7 numbers | 35 numbers |
| Filter → coarse | 7 numbers | 40 numbers |
The same number means different things
Both grinders use a numbered dial, which makes it tempting to copy a number straight across. Setting 8 sits at grind index 27.5 on the EK43 but 3.8 on the Key — far enough apart to change the cup.
Converting a setting
If a recipe quotes a setting for one of these grinders, read across for the equivalent on the other. Rows are spaced evenly by grind size, not by dial number — on a conical burr those are not the same thing.
| EK43 | Key |
|---|---|
| 2 | 5 |
| 4.8 | 11.5 |
| 7.1 | 18.5 |
| 7.8 | 26.3 |
| 8.5 | 34.3 |
| 9.3 | 41.3 |
| 10.7 | 46.9 |
| 12.1 | 51.9 |
| 13.4 | 56.8 |
| 14.3 | 62.4 |
| 14.9 | 68.2 |
| 15.4 | 74.1 |
| 16 | 80 |
| Key | EK43 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 2 |
| 11.5 | 4.8 |
| 18.5 | 7.1 |
| 26.3 | 7.8 |
| 34.3 | 8.5 |
| 41.3 | 9.3 |
| 46.9 | 10.7 |
| 51.9 | 12.1 |
| 56.8 | 13.4 |
| 62.4 | 14.3 |
| 68.2 | 14.9 |
| 74.1 | 15.4 |
| 80 | 16 |
Side by side, by brew method
Where each grinder lands for the same brew, worked out from its own dial curve.
| Method | EK43 | Key |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 3.7 | 8.9 |
| Moka pot | 7 | 17 |
| AeroPress (short steep) | 7.8 | 26.3 |
| Pour over — V60 / cone | 8.8 | 38.4 |
| Pour over — flat bottom | 9.8 | 43.6 |
| Drip / batch brew | 10.7 | 46.9 |
| Chemex | 12 | 51.7 |
| French press | 14.1 | 60.3 |
| Cold brew | 15.2 | 71.5 |
The shape of each dial
Where the connectors bunch, that grinder’s dial is compressed and single steps count for more. Comparing the two shapes tells you which gives finer control, and where.
Mahlkönig EK43
Weber Key
Dialing in the EK43
The grinder that changed what filter coffee was supposed to taste like, and still the reference for high-clarity brewing. Its very large flat burrs produce an unusually narrow particle distribution, which is why coffee ground on an EK often tastes cleaner at the same nominal setting than it does elsewhere. Stepless, so treat the numbers as targets.
Dialing in the Key
Weber's more attainable single-dose grinder, sharing the single-dose workflow and low retention that define the range. Like the EG-1 it is stepless — land near the target and adjust by taste.
Own a different grinder?
Convert between any two of 78 models
The converter runs the same maths for any pair in the catalog.
Open the grind converter →Send me both charts
Every setting for the Mahlkönig EK43 and the Weber Key, side by side in your inbox.
One email with both charts. Nothing else unless you ask.
Switching grinders mid-bag?
Log a brew, say how it tasted, and BrewMark tells you which way to move — in whichever grinder’s numbers you are actually using. Free on iOS.
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